065: Rob Burns and Crossing Cultures for the Gospel

Rob Burns is a pastor in Detroit at Detroit Chinese Alliance Church and has also served as a missionary in the Balkans. Today, Rob shares his story of his calling into cross-cultural ministry both overseas and in the United States. Rob and I go way back to his seminary days. At the time, I was in college and we worked together. He remembers my wife bringing us brownies. I remember him as an astute critic and observer of events and one of the best conversationalists in the world. To have a conversation with Rob means you’ll walk away smarter and with much to think about.

Hope you enjoy his story and the conversation!

Stories Rob shared:

• The missions trip God used to awaken a cross-cultural calling
• The clever way a neighbor shared Christ with Rob and his family
• What his experience of God’s speaking to him is like
• Examples of how the Spirit has led him in ministry
• The cross-cultural ministries that captivated he and his wife
• How Christ speaks into every culture
• The ways he tends to relate to God
• Why he thought of himself as Batman on the mission field
• Why Rob wishes he was doing more to pass on his thoughts to the world
• His best advice for people doing cross-cultural ministry
• Why losing our confidence in Christianity is dangerous

Great quotes from Rob:

“God’s too big to be held in a book.” quoting Bruce Cockburn

Christ speaks to every culture and belongs to every culture.

When I’m in those [hard] moments, I respond to duty.

Don’t be bashful about following Him.

Resources mentioned by Rob:

• Eric Ortlund’s blog
• Surprised by the Power of the Spirit by Jack Deere (Amazon affiliate link)
• Surprised by the Voice of God by Jack Deere (Amazon affiliate link)

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